kale caesar

I mean that in both ways, as in “I’m giving you directions for assembling a salad” and also the 2016 vernacular “this is soooo #basic.”

I made these a few weeks ago for dinner, with the promise to myself that if I was going to do it, I would do it right.

Homemade dressing, croutons, and even those little Parmesan crispy things that Panera puts in theirs.

Like I said, #basic.

But but! It’s March, so all green recipes are welcome, right? I think so.

Kale Caesar Salads

for the dressing (slightly adapted from Bon Appetit)

6 anchovy filets, chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 egg yolks

juice of one lemon

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbs olive oil

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2-3 tbs fresh grated Parmesan

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

for the salads (makes 4)

5-6 cups kale

4 eggs, hard boiled

4 small chicken breasts, grilled

about 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan for the crisps

1 small baguette, toasted for croutons

I did the dressing with my immersion blender! Chop the anchovies and garlic together. Add to a small bowl with the egg yolks, mustard, and lemon juice. With the blender on (or while whisking or hand mixing), slowly drizzle in the oil. I did the olive oil first, then the vegetable oil. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup vegetable oil, but I don’t think I added that much. Drizzle it slowly until you get to the texture you want. Add the Parmesan, then season to taste.

Toss the kale and dressing together.You want the dressing to BARELY cover the kale. Then let it sit for at least 2-3 hours. If you don’t have that long, make sure you massage the kale first. We had this conversation once before.

While the kale is soaking up that anchovy goodness, you can make your hard boiled eggs and grill your chicken. I like the chicken to be cold which is why I did it ahead of time.

I also grated some little piles of Parmesan on a baking sheet.

…and documented it on Snapchat.

I also took a day old baguette and sliced it up, tossed it with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toasted it in the oven at 375 until golden brown. I actually hate croutons and always pick them out of salads, but THESE CROUTONS. I could live on them.

When I assembled the salads, I really didn’t feel like they needed any extra dressing. Every bite had a topping! Chicken, egg, crispy parm, the aforementioned croutons from heaven. But you could make a second batch just in case.

PS Anchovies are located by the canned tuna in the grocery store, in case you were wondering.

PPS I suppose you could use bottled dressing and hide the evidence from your friends if you’re afraid of slimy canned fish and raw eggs.